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I don't have fireflies in my garden - which is a shame... only cats, bees, a dog and the odd dragonfly!! So please settle down with a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Source of picture unknown

﻿ Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Well, the big day is nearly here!

We have decked the halls, put up the tree and hung the decorations, wrapped the presents, filled the stockings, laid the table ready for the big Christmas feast tomorrow, Christmas carols are playing in the background, (actually it's the "Hairy Bikers 12 days of Christmas" that I can hear...) cards have been sent and received - yep, I think everything is ready for Christmas Day....

The only thing missing is the jolly man in the red suit! But according to the Official NORAD Santa Tracker website it's not long before he gets underway.

Christmas means different things to different people and there are so many sayings and songs relating to Christmas, so many traditions and every family has their own way of celebrating the birth of Christ.

This year Mark and I are celebrating the day together, just the two of us (with Daisy, Oscar and Felix, of course). This will be the first year that we haven't spent the day with the whole family, however we will still be following our family traditions.

So Christmas Day in our humble abode will be:

5am start - the cats and dog will no doubt wake us up as the sun will be shining and their bellies will be rumbling. Once the animals are fed and we have had our breakfast, we will go down to the beach nice and early so that we can enjoy a walk along the water's edge before it gets too hot, then we will come home, make all the family phone calls and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, then it will be time to prepare the Weber so that we can cook our Christmas duck.

Yep, while it is scheduled to be 38 deg C(100.4 in the old money - deg F) in Perth on Christmas Day we are still going to have our traditional cooked Christmas lunch!! All washed down with a lovely bottle of icy cold champagne (my one weakness!), and then it will be plum pudding and custard for afters. By that time my stomach will be full and there will be dishes to be done and all I will want to do is go to sleep in front of the telly!

Mark grew up in England and I grew up in the north west of Western Australia, but both of our families have the tradition of a hot lunch on Christmas Day, and some traditions never change...

So while Bing Crosby might be "Dreaming of a White Christmas", and some countries around the world have more of a "White Christmas" than they want, little old Perth will be sizzling and sweltering through another hot, dry Christmas season. But hey, that is Christmas in Australia, and I wouldn't be anywhere else!

No matter where you may be in the world, and whether you will be celebrating the day with loved ones or thinking of loved ones who are no longer with us, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2011 bring you health, wealth and happiness. Thank you for taking the time to stop by my little blog spot on the world wide interweb... I have really enjoyed reading all your wonderful blogs and seeing what you are all stitching and creating, and I look forward to seeing what everyone blogs about next year.

RECIPE FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS

To a cup of tradition, time-honored and dear,
Add a generous portion of holiday cheer,
Combine with the memories of Christmases past,
Then sprinkle the mixture with joy unsurpassed.
Add a dash or good spirits, stir fondly until...
You set it to rise in the warmth of good will.
Pour love over all in generous measure,
And garnish with laughter and heartwarming pleasure.

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About Me

Hi, my name is Leonie, but my family nickname is Noni - the "L" was too hard for little tongues to get around!! I wish that I had more time to spend cross stitching and blogging, but unfortunately work and life sometimes get in the way! We share our house and garden with Mitzi, a very loving, boisterous King Charles Cavalier puppy (just ask the cats) and 2 beautiful cats, Oscar and Felix.